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Community Policing in Rural Areas

Project completed

This project aims at strengthening the Romanian Police capacity to prevent and counter criminality in the rural areas through community policing, shifting from the exclusive perspective of coercive approach to one which focuses on prevention, problem-solving and service delivery. The project is part of the thematic fund security in Romania. Further information about this fund can be found among the additional information on the very bottom of this page.

Two trainings for the middle management public police officers and top managers of the Romanian police will take place. 18 top police managers will be trained in different related areas. One best practices exchange international workshop/seminar as well as one study visit for 5 Romanian police officers in Switzerland will be organized. Roma language/cultural awareness trainings will be performed. The procurement for equipment/vehicles will increase mobility and operational capacity of rural police.

Results

Achieved results:

320 rural officers trained in Roma culture and language

46 proximity officers trained in Community Policing

2.500 rural officers trained

Implementation of 25 mini projects with quick impact

Slatina training evaluated

3.300 copies of the Community Policing manual elaborated, printed and distributed

Improved mobility through the acqusition of boats and vehicles

Best practices exchange in the field of community policing for minority communities

Romanian police officers acquainted with different approaches of community policing in Switzerland

Improved objective security in rural areas: The number of criminal offenses in rural areas has decreased by 6% in 2017 versus 2016.

Capacity of the Public Order Directorate to sustain, implement and coordinate all community policing activities in rural areas strengthened.

Capacity of Community Police Officers in the field of community policing and Roma cultural awareness/language improved.

Improved logistical and operational support at the level of police sections/posts in Roma and other socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Switzerland supports the work of the police in Romania, helping to build trust in the police among the public and to fight crime. Special priority is given to improving understanding between the police and disadvantaged population groups, for example the Roma minority.

Switzerland's support is aimed at improving policing in Romania in 97 rural communities, building trust in the police among the population and reducing the crime rate. To this end, the community policing approach is used, which focuses on crime prevention and problem-solving.

The project covers three areas:

strengthening community policing

training police officers

logistical and operational support for the police

Strengthening community policing

Supervised by the Romanian police, an academic team carried out a study in the 97 selected municipalities on the socio-economic situation, crime and relations between the police and the public. The insights gained from that study on comparative community policing and past experience of the Romanian police and its Swiss partners served as a basis for the project.

Training police officers

A new training manual in community policing was designed with the assistance of Swiss experts. 2’500 officers from the targeted municipalities were trained in the new approach which emphasis communication skills and mediation – both of which are essential aspects of community policing. Another 240 police officers attended courses in Roma language and culture in a newly created training centre. The dedicated centre is part of the police school in Slatina, a town located about 150 km west of Bucharest. The aim is to enhance understanding and improve the relationship between the police and the Roma minority.

Logistical support for the police and local safety forums

An important way of ensuring effective community policing is to improve the police's mobility. Police stations in the selected municipalities are therefore provided with vehicles and up-to-date equipment. A dedicated fund was also created to support policing micro-projects including renovation of local police stations, providing motor boats servicing the protected areas of the Danube Delta, or installing video surveillance devices. The 30 micro-projects are conceived through consultation with local community safety forums installed by the project.

Tried-and-tested cooperation with Switzerland

Back in 2000, Switzerland began helping the Romanian government to introduce community policing in the towns and cities. This pilot scheme met with such success that the Romanian government decided to extend it to rural areas too. Here, as in the towns and cities, Swiss expertise has been instrumental in introducing community policing. The Romanian police force works closely with the police academy at Savatan in the Canton of Vaud and with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva under the constant supervision of the Swiss NGO Coginta.

Switzerland provides almost CHF 2 million of funding for the project. The project is part of the thematic fund security. Switzerland funds 20 different security-related projects in Romania for a total amount of CHF 18 million, supporting the country inter alia in the areas of the judiciary, the implementation of Schengen and the fight against corruption, human trafficking and organised crime.